Disc ridger



A. V. BURCH May 7, 1963 DISC RIDGER 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed Aug. 31. 1960 INVENTOR. ALVAN V. BURCH ATTORNEYS May 7, 1963 A. v. BURCH DISC RIDGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 31. 1960 ALVAN v. BURCH ATTOR NEYS 3,088,527 Faiented May 7, 1963 TIQE 3,088,527 DISC RIDGER Alvan V. Burch, Evansville, Ind, assignor to Burch Plow Works, Inc., Evansville, Ind, a corporation of Indiana Filed Aug. 31, 1960, Ser. No. 53,191 1 Claim. (Cl. 172-579) This application relates to earth working equipment and is particularly concerned with a farm implement for ridging and cultivating.

A great many crops are planted in ridges and the formation of the ridges is important because they must be of uniform height uniformly spaced and must be formed of soil that is free of clods or slabs.

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved implement for carrying out a ridging operation of this nature in a more efficient manner than has been accomplished heretofore.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a ridging implement of the nature referred to which is adequately strong to withstand the great stresses that are encountered in forming the ridges.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a disk type ridger in which the disks are supported so that they will turn freely on their axes under all conditions.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a disk type ridging implement in which the disks are set at the optimum angle for efficiently forming ridges at high speed and with the minimum drag on the ridger.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a disk type ridging implement which is also useful for cultivating row crops.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a multiple row ridger which is extremely strong but which is so arranged that it can be coupled closely to a tractor so that the ridger, even though quite heavy, can easily be lifted or carried by the tractor.

The foregoing objects and advantages of this invention, as well as still other objects and advantages thereof Will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a rear elevational view of a ridging implement according to this invention,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view indicated by the arrow 2 on FIGURE 1 looking down on top of two pairs of disks that cooperate to form the valley between adjacent ridges,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view indicated by line 33 on FIGURE 1 showing the disk supporting shaft for a pair of disks and the manner in which it is rotatably supported on the frame of the implement,

FIGURE 4 is a sectional View on line 44 of FIGURE 1 looking in at the pairs of disks of FIGURE 2 from the side, and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view showing the supporting bearing at increased scale.

Referring to the drawings somewhat in more detail, the ridger according to the present invention comprises a tool bar which is a solid metal bar, diamond shaped cross section and on the order of from 2 to 2% inches on a side. This bar normally sets with a long diagonal vertical and a long diagonal horizontal and provides the means for supporting the several pairs of disks and also has means for connection with a tractor hitch mechanism. The means for connecting the tool bar to a tractor hitch comprises a vertically extending A frame 12 fixed to the tool bar in the center and extending vertically upwardly therefrom and a pair of laterally spaced forwardly extending bars 14 that have pins thereon for connection with the lower links of a tractor lift mechanism. The A frame and the last mentioned bars may be welded to the tool bar or may be clamped thereto in a suitable manner.

Arranged in spaced relation along the tool bar are the disks generally indicated at 16 and which comprise a first group of disks which are concave toward the left, these disks being indicated at 18, and a second group of disks indicated at 20 which are concave toward the right. Each rear pair of disks 16 is associated with a front pair of disks 20 laterally spaced therefrom. Each such double pair of disks serve to form a ridge 22. Each of the rear pairs of disks is associated with the front disk pair that is on the left side thereof as viewed in FIGURE 1. Each disk pair 16, 18 include a smaller forward disk 24 and a larger rearwardly disposed disk 26. The disks may be smooth about their outer periphery, or they may be notched, according to individual preference.

Each disk pair is rotatably supported as will be seen in FIGURE 3. In this view it will be noted that there is a bearing block 28 bored completely through and counterbored from opposite sides to receive the spaced ball bearings 30. The inner races of the ball bearings abut each other and have a rectangular center aperture through which the square gang bolt 32 extends. This gang bolt has a head 34 upset on one end thereof and extends completely through the disk assembly to receive a nut 36 at the end opposite head 34. Surrounding gang bolt 32 on opposite sides of the bearing housing 28 and abutting the inner races of the bearings 30 and also abutting the inside faces of the disks 24 and 26 are the spacer members 38. On the sides of the disk opposite the spacer members are heavy cast washers 40. This entire assembly is tightly clamped together on square gang shaft 32 and this forms an extremely strong free running unit. It will be noted that the ball bearings 30 have their rows of balls spaced a substantial distance apart and this reduces the loading on the ball bearings and adds considerable life thereto. These ball bearings are of the multiple sealed type and are thus protected from dust and dirt. In this connection, there may be provided a grease fitting 42 in bearing housing 28 through which grease under pressure can be introduced into the center of the bearing housing so it will press outwardly and thus prevent dirt from entering the bearings, and flush dirt from the bearings if this should be necessary.

Each bearing housing 28 is secured by bolts 44 to a heavy support or gang standard 46. In the arrangement illustrated the disk pairs 20 are supported on short gang standards and the disk pairs 18 are supported on long gang standards so that the disk pairs can run in overlapping relation as will be seen in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The shorter gang standards angle forwardly toward tool bar 10 and have vertical end parts 48 that engage the backs of the clamp members 50 which are formed so as to embrace the tool bar 10 therebetween. The clamp bolts 52 are effective for clamping the gang standards to the clamp members and for clamping the clamp members tightly against the tool bar. Due to the extremely high stresses encountered in operating the ridger, each clamp member 50 is provided with laterally extending brace elements 54 welded on the inside between the two legs thereof. This makes a box-like structure that is extremely strong so that the clamp members will not yield and become loose in operation.

The long gang standards, indicated at 46 A also angle forwardly and upwardly toward the tool bar and have the vertical portions 56 at the end which are clamped to the tool bar as in connection with the vertical portions '48 of the shorter gang standards. Vertical portions 56 are spaced backwardly from tool bar 10 a substantial distance and for this reason the clamp member 50 pertaining thereto on the back side of the tool bar has an extension member 58 welded thereto. This extension member may be provided with stiffening members 60 Welded therein which correspond to the stiffening members 34 of the clamp members 50.

The several gang standards are individually adjustable along the tool bar and accordingly can be placed in such spaced relation as to form the ridges in the proper spaced relation to fit the planter that will later plant the crop. The ridger is free of adjustable parts, other than the moveability of the gang standards along the tool bar, and is thus free of the troubles that usually accompany adjustable connections in an implement of this nature which is required to do extremely heavy work.

On account of the compactness of the ridger, it can be connected to the tractor with its center of gravity close to the tractor so that it can easily be lifted by the tractor whereby the control of the ridger can easily be accomplished. The ridger can thus be pressed into the ground to form the ridges, or it can be carried at a predetermined height for cultivating after the crops have been planted.

It has been found that improved results are had by the particular angles at which the pairs of disks are carried and the angularity of the disk pairs that is preferred is indicated in the drawings. It will be understood that the specific angles given are not the only angles but represent what has been found to be the median of the most beneficial ranges of angles. Variation of any of the angles given up to about in either direction is possible while still obtaining fairly efiicient ridging and cultivating. The specific angles given are, of course, the preferred angles and are the ones which have been found to produce optimum results.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions; and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall Within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a ridger for cultivating and ridging soil, an elongated transverse tool bar, a tractor hitching means mounted thereon for connection to a tractor drawbar whereby the ridger is moved over the soil and manipulated, means comprising a plurality of concave disk assemblies mounted on gang angle standards which are secured to said tool bar in spaced relationship longitudinally thereof, said disk assemblies comprising a single pair of disks mounted on said tool bar at the opposite ends thereof, said disks being angularly disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of said tool bar and having their concave disk surfaces facing towards the middle section of the tool bar, and multiple sets of concave disks spacedly arranged on said tool bar between said single pairs of disks, said sets of disks constituting double pairs of disks and having the first pair disposed so that the axis of rotation of the disks is substantially at right angles to the axis of rotation of the second pair of disks with the first pair of disks disposed forwardly of the second pair of disks and the concave disk surfaces of both pairs of disks facing the tool bar, said pairs of disks of each set being so related that the axis of rotation of the forward pair of disks intersects the axis of rotation of the second pair of disks between the disks of said second pair, whereby a plurality of parallel ridges and valleys are formed in the soil as the ridger is drawn over the soil.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 506,429 Hancock Oct. 10, 1893 759,782 Ward et al. May 10, 1904 784,480 Disney Mar. 7, 1905 1,079,938 Gamble Dec. 2, 1913 1,213,050 White Jan. 16, 1917 1,585,292 Kirkpatrick May 18, 1926 1,617,997 Erickson Feb. 15, 1927 1,625,379 Sweeney Apr. 19, 1927 1,740,874 Polhemus et al Dec. 24, 1929 1,813,438 Coker July 7, 1931 2,539,632 Miller Jan. 30, 1951 2,693,748 Kiser Nov. 9, 1954 2,790,367 Simmons Apr. 30, 1957 2,798,420 Ewalt July 9, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 143,392 Germany Aug. 10, 1903 176,969 Germany Nov. 5, 1906 

